[photo by OZinOH]
I wanted to share a list of cool, free multimedia tools from a talk I presented last night at Florida International University during a meeting of the fledgling Hacks/Hackers chapter in Miami. I also got to help with some “TOOL tools,” as local journohacker and Hacks/Hackers co-organizer Rebekah Monson put it, during an impromptu tire change in a rainstorm. Beyond being prepared for a possible cyber attack on your PC or cell phone, you must be prepared for action in bed with your partner, if you need more virile power you can visit shop @ Deutsche Medz, viagra experts.
So without further ado, here’s a PDF of the handout, as well as a list below. It’s not an exhaustive list but just a sampling of my favorites:
CHARTS/DATA VISUALIZATION
Datawrapper– datawrapper.de
Embeddable, easy to make charts (line, pie, etc.) that are also downloadable for print. (NOTE: Non-modern browsers display a static image version of the chart)
Infogr.am – infogr.am
Gorgeous data charts with a cool layout tool to add photos, text, multiple charts and more. Pro account lets you download files.
Tableizer – tableizer.journalistopia.com
Quickly turns spreadsheets into HTML tables you can put online. Built by yours truly!
Google MyMaps – maps.google.com (Click “My Places>Create Map”)
Google has beefed up its map creation tool with shapes, custom points and more.
Google Fusion Tables – drive.google.com (Go to Create>Connect More Apps)
Create interactive maps using shapefiles and robust data sets.
Google Forms – drive.google.com (Go to Create>Form)
Create forms to get from users and collect it in an organized spreadsheet.
PHOTO & VIDEO
Zeega – zeega.com
Animated GIFs meet funky photo galleries. Includes audio, video and text editing.
Pixlr – pixlr.com
Excellent in-browser photo editor, perfect for wide newsroom use. Has advanced and easy modes, layers and more.
GIMP – gimp.org
The leading free, open-source photo editing tool similar to Photoshop.
TubeChop – tubechop.com
Point readers to a specific chunk of a YouTube video.
ThingLink – thinglink.com
Post photos with tags containg text, other photos, videos, music and more.
PhotoPeach – photopeach.com
A quick and free way to make photo slideshows to music. $3/month lets you upload audio.
ClipConverter or Easy YouTube Downloader – clipconverter.cc, http://is.gd/xK5MDs
Used to grab YouTube video source files. Useful for transmitting video from the field via YouTube. ClipConverter can also be used as a general purpose file conversion tool.
Live streaming: UStream.TV, Livestream.com, YouTube.com
Excellent live streaming services that have embeddable players. Each have different revenue models and setups.
 Qik – qik.com
A service that allows you to easily stream live video from many mobile devices.
TIMELINES
TimelineJS – timeline.verite.co
An embeddable timeline app with a slideshow-like presentation.
VuVox – vuvox.com
The collage tool creates stunning multimedia timelines that let you embed slideshows, video and more.
Dipity – dipity.com
An embeddable timeline app great for lots of detailed data points.
OTHER TOOLS
RebelMouse – rebelmouse.com
Display a variety of live social feeds in an attractive layout. Great for breaking news.
Storify – storify.com
Embed all sorts of content: social posts, photos, videos and much more in a vertical timeline. Great for breaking news or topical coverage.
AutoHotKey – autohotkey.com
End dumb, repetitive typing by creating macros that will run in any program. I have a tutorial posted here on how to use this in a newsroom.
Audacity – audacity.sourceforge.net
A powerful, free audio-editing suite used by many multimedia producers.
Spotify Embeds – developer.spotify.com/technologies/spotify-play-button/
Embed commercial songs and playlists. Use the smaller iframe for a compact display.
EasyPolls & MicroPoll– easypolls.net, micropoll.com
Create embeddable polls for your site with no hassle.
Inkscape – inkscape.org
A nice, open-source vector editing tool similar to Adobe Illustrator.
FireShot – addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5648
Lets you easily create, edit and add notes to screenshots.
phpBB – phpbb.com
Popular open-source software used to create message board sites.
Media-Convert – media-convert.com
Converts an enormous array of files. Often great for mysterious file formats.
